LONDON (AP) – British regulators stripped China’s state TV channel of its national broadcasting license on Thursday after an investigation cited the lack of editorial control and links to China’s ruling Communist Party.
The watchdog for communications, Ofcom, said it was revoking the UK license for China Global Television Network, or CGTN, an international English satellite news channel.
CGTN was available on free and pay TV in the UK. It did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Regulators began investigating the station after receiving a complaint from a human rights group Safeguard Defenders to investigate an investigation into its ownership.
Ofcom is also continuing its investigation into a number of other complaints that it violates fairness and accuracy rules. One was from a former employee of the British Consulate in Hong Kong who said he was detained by Chinese police and tortured for information about protesters. Another was by a British corporate investigator who said he was forced to confess while imprisoned in China. CGTN at the time did not respond to requests for comment on these claims, and Ofcom said its rulings are still pending.
The decision contributes to the crumbling ties between Britain and China, which have already been strained by British efforts to address alleged human rights violations against the Uighur minority. in Xinjiang and enjoy the right of residence for Hong Kongers.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has reacted anew with criticism of the British Broadcasting Corp. It says “China reserves the right to take further action.” The BBC said it stood by the report and rejected the ‘unfounded accusations’.
The British watchdog said the company that owns the station’s license, Star China Media Limited, has no editorial responsibility for CGTN’s production, which is a licensing requirement. Star China was merely the distributor of the channel, and none of the employees involved in the day-to-day operations or decision-making were its employees.
An application to transfer the license to China Global Television Network Corporation as part of a planned restructuring was rejected because ‘important information’ is missing, Ofcom said. But it also failed “because we believe that CGTNC would be incompetent to own a license, as it is controlled by a body that is ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,” he said.
The watchdog said it had given CGTN ‘time’ to comply, but the efforts ‘are now exhausted’.
“After careful consideration, taking into account all the facts and the broadcaster’s and audience’s rights to freedom of expression, we have decided it is appropriate to withdraw the license for CGTN to broadcast in the United Kingdom,” Ofcom said said.
In a separate case, Ofcom said it would soon decide on the sanctions for CGTN for violating impartiality rules in covering protests against democracy in Hong Kong.
The loss of its British broadcasting license is a major setback for CGTN, which was a key part of the Chinese government’s expanding its soft power and burning its image abroad. The channel has established a European operations center in West London and has launched a rental series for journalists to staff it.
CGTN can appeal against the decision by applying for a judicial review. It could also try to get the license back by resubmitting the application with proof that it is editorially independent, Ofcom said.
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